rate
1 Americannoun
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the amount of a charge or payment with reference to some basis of calculation.
a high rate of interest on loans.
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a certain quantity or amount of one thing considered in relation to a unit of another thing and used as a standard or measure.
at the rate of 60 miles an hour.
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a fixed charge per unit of quantity.
a rate of 10 cents a pound.
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to cut rates on all home furnishings.
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degree of speed, progress, etc..
to work at a rapid rate.
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degree or comparative extent of action or procedure.
the rate of increase in work output.
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relative condition or quality; grade, class, or sort.
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assigned position in any of a series of graded classes; rating.
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Insurance. the premium charge per unit of insurance.
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a charge by a common carrier for transportation, sometimes including certain services involved in rendering such transportation.
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a wage paid on a specified time basis.
a salary figured on an hourly rate.
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a charge or price established in accordance with a scale or standard.
hotel rates based on length of stay.
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Horology. the relative adherence of a timepiece to perfect timekeeping, measured in terms of the amount of time gained or lost within a certain period.
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British. Usually rates.
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a tax on property for some local purpose.
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any tax assessed and paid to a local government, as any city tax or district tax.
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verb (used with object)
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to estimate the value or worth of; appraise.
to rate a student's class performance.
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to esteem, consider, or account.
He was rated one of the best writers around.
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to fix at a certain rate, as of charge or payment.
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to value for purposes of taxation or the like.
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to make subject to the payment of a certain rate or tax.
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to place in a certain rank, class, etc., as a ship or a sailor; give a specific rating to.
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to be considered or treated as worthy of; merit.
an event that doesn't even rate a mention in most histories of the period.
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to arrange for the conveyance of (goods) at a certain rate.
verb (used without object)
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to have value, standing, etc..
a performance that didn't rate very high in the competition.
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to have position in a certain class.
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to rank very high in estimation.
The new teacher really rates with our class.
idioms
verb (used with or without object)
noun
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a quantity or amount considered in relation to or measured against another quantity or amount
a rate of 70 miles an hour
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a price or charge with reference to a standard or scale
rate of interest
rate of discount
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( as modifier )
a rate card
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a charge made per unit for a commodity, service, etc
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See rates
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the relative speed of progress or change of something variable; pace
he works at a great rate
the rate of production has doubled
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relative quality; class or grade
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( in combination )
first-rate ideas
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statistics a measure of the frequency of occurrence of a given event, such as births and deaths, usually expressed as the number of times the event occurs for every thousand of the total population considered
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a wage calculated against a unit of time
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the amount of gain or loss of a timepiece
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in any case; at all events; anyway
verb
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(also intr) to assign or receive a position on a scale of relative values; rank
he is rated fifth in the world
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to estimate the value of; evaluate
we rate your services highly
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to be worthy of; deserve
this hotel does not rate four stars
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to consider; regard
I rate him among my friends
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to assess the value of (property) for the purpose of local taxation
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slang to think highly of
the clients do not rate the new system
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of rate1
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English noun rate “monetary amount, value, estimated amount, proportional part,” from Old French rate and Medieval Latin rata, from Latin (prō) ratā (parte) “(according to) an estimated (part),” ratā ablative singular of rata, feminine of ratus, past participle of rērī “to judge”; verb derivative of the noun
Origin of rate2
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English raten, araten; further origin uncertain; perhaps from Scandinavian; compare Swedish, Norwegian rata “to reject, cast aside”; or from Old French rateir, raiter, reter “to find fault with, blame”
Explanation
When you pay a high rate, you pay a lot of money. When you move at a high rate of speed, you go fast. If you are a judge at a contest, you rate the contestants. It's interesting how one word can have different origins for different meanings. For example, the noun rate, referring to amounts comes from the Latin rata, “a fixed amount.” But the verb rate seems to come from the Scandinavian rata, "to reject." If the person you are dating asks you to rate them against your previous partners, you might change the subject at a high rate of speed.
Vocabulary lists containing rate
Word Generation Science - Measurement
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Ratios and Proportional Relationships
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Ratios and Proportional Relationships
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Buyers are less sensitive to rate volatility than they used to be, said First American’s Fleming.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
Illinois: The sales-tax rate is being reduced from 6.25% to 1.25% Aug. 7-16 for certain school supplies at any price, as well as for clothing and shoes under $125 per item.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
"He offers energy, outstanding work rate and an exceptional range of passing. His improvement in recent years has been really impressive and underlines his desire to be the best player he can be," Viana said.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
Consumer prices were 2.6% higher in June, down from a 2.8% inflation rate in both April and May.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
Adrenaline hit my system like a freight train, and I felt my heart rate double in an instant.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
Fed chair Kevin Warsh isn’t saying much about where he stands, and recent economic indicators could push the Fed’s rate-setting body to either hold rates steady or raise them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
Fundamentally, Iran, interest rates, oil and other uncertainties are upsetting market equilibrium.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
And some of the bank's governors had already mooted a possible rates hike, she added.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
The immediate economic impacts of the tariffs are expected to be limited, as the new tariff rates are similar to the 10% global tariff that expires early Friday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
Subprime mortgages almost always bore floating interest rates, but most of them came with a fixed, two-year “teaser” rate.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
One of the few fixtures was center Bradley Bozeman, who Pro Football Focus rated 40th out of 40 players who qualified at that position.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
That includes Moises Caicedo, Estevao Willian, Cole Palmer, Joao Pedro and Levi Colwill, as well as some of the club's most highly rated young prospects, including Josh Acheampong.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
And different cables and wall chargers are rated for different wattages, so they need to work in concert, he adds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
Spreads on highly rated corporate bonds typically move by only a few basis points on a typical day.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026
These bonds could then be sold to investors—pension funds, insurance companies—which were allowed to invest only in highly rated securities.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
When he took office, his net approval rating among men was about +17.
From Slate ● Jul. 23, 2026
Bell Potter keeps a buy rating on the stock, with an unchanged target price of 110.00 Australian dollars.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
After plunging more than 30% since the start of the year, Morgan Stanley has cut Adobe’s stock rating, warning of three “concurrent transitions.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
"For them to be amazed at having a good rating just doesn't sit well," David said.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
Lenders will raise their standards; rating agencies will take a closer look; and no dealers in their right mind will sell insurance on subprime mortgage bonds at anything like the prices they’ve been selling it.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.